WAITSBURG – WP wrestlers continued to compete through the Christmas school break, participating in a tournament in Pomeroy on Dec. 30 and the Jo Hi Invitational in Joseph, Ore. on January 2. Senior Tristan Newman took third place, wrestling against several past state competitors, at Jo Hi and walked away with a first place medal at the Pomeroy competition.

Five wrestlers competed at the Pomeroy meet on Dec. 30. Coach Lanny Adams said Devin Newman wrestled hard against very skilled and talented wrestlers in the 132 lb division. "He made a couple of mistakes but rebounded and continued to wrestle hard," said Adams. Newman pinned Zaron Bubb of Selkirs by pin in 1:36 and beat Trapper Askins of Colfax with a technical fall at 1:53.

In the 138 lb. division David Just won two of five rounds against "skilled and experienced" wrestlers. Just took Gavin Cone of Clarkston in :43, followed by a win against Seth Hill of NWC in :39. In match three Just was pinned by Mitch Barney of Colfax at 1:33, followed by a loss by pin to Daniel Espinoza of Kittitas in 2:17. Just took seventh place in the tournament in a 5th/7th place match against Carson Morrow of Clearwater Valley who pinned Just at 3:36.

At 145 lbs. DJ Lalka was pinned by Chase Gleason of Kittitas at 3:15 and by Josh You of LRS in :12. "DJ continues to improve each time he steps on the mat," said Adams.

Tyler Hoffman overcame a sore lower back to stay in the tournament but was still having trouble staying low and not standing up, according to Adams who expects to see more wins once Hoffman gets the low stance and drops his weight to the 220 lb. class. Hoffman pinned Derrick Charpentier of Clarkson in 1:56, was pinned by Cody Perryman of Kettle Falls in :54 and pinned Simon Williams of NWC in 1:40. In the 3rd/4th place match, Hoffman lost to Grayson Whitaker of LRS.

"Tristan Newman made WP wrestling history again by being the first WP wrestler to take home the coveted first place medal," said Adams. Tristan wrestled hard and did what he had to do to keep advancing. He is moving faster than most heavyweights do and using different moves, he said. In the 285 lb. class, Newman's first two rounds were byes followed by a win by pin at 1:53 against Grayson Whitaker of LRS. In the finals round for 1st/2nd place, Newman pinned cody Perryman of Kettle Falls in 1:21.

On January 2, WP wrestlers traveled to Joseph, Ore. where heavyweight Tristan Newman took third place in the 285-pound division. Adams said there was tough competition at the invite and four WP wrestlers - Devin Newman, Just, Lalka and Hoffman - were eliminated on day one of the tournament. "We beat ourselves on simple mistakes that we should not be making this far into the season. The Oregon wrestling program is a very intense competitive one. Many state placers and champions come from eastern Oregon and a lot of them were at this tournament," said Adams.

Newman took a bye in his first match, pinned Ricky Sandoval of Weiser, Ida. in 3:12 in is second match followed by a pin to Will Goodman, Baker, Ore. in 1:55 in match three. Newman pinned Joshua Hendrix of Culver, Ore. in 1:51 to take third place, overall. "Tristan wrestled very well. Most of his opponents were past state competitors - some were placers. His last opponent just came back from Georgia where he placed in a USA tournament," said Adams.

In the 132 lb. division Devin Newman lost by fall to Marco Retano of Culver, Ore. at 3:12 and was pinned by Isaiah Simpson of Pine Eagle, Ore. in :25.

Just was pinned by Jorge Olivera of Culver, Ore. in 1:54 and by Carson Morrow of Clearwater Valley, Ida., at 3:30.

Lalka was pinned by Michael Breeding of Mac-Hi in :17 and lost a 6-10 decision to Raymond Seal of Joseph, Ore.

Courtesy of Lanny Adams

WP wrestler Tristan Newman (left) stands proud as he takes home the first place heavyweight medal in the Pomeroy tournament.

Hoffman was pinned by Culver's Hendrix in :53 and by Will Goodwin of Baker at 2:57.

WP wrestlers travel to Springdale on the 10th for their next tournament.